


Agree to Disagree

by beadedslipper



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, Protective!Cullen, Protective!Inquisitor, Romance, Varric tells it like it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 00:18:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3269675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beadedslipper/pseuds/beadedslipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen accompanies the Herald into battle and ends up taking an arrow for her.  She is not impressed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Agree to Disagree

**Author's Note:**

> I can absolutely see Cullen doing something like this. I can also see Varric being really frustrated by these two idiots dancing around each other.

He grunted at the sharp pain in his shoulder.  It felt like it was on fire.  He blinked bleary eyes in the dim light.  He could make out tan tent walls, a line of cots, and a small bench strewn with bandages and potions.  He was in the healer’s tent.  He tried to sit up before collapsing back on the cot with a gasp of pain.

“Take it easy Curly.”

Varric sat next to his bed, a thick book on his lap.  The dwarf watched him inscrutably.

“How you feeling?”

Cullen clenched his jaw.  “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

Cullen thought back.  It was all flashes.  The yell of Venatori, the clash of shields.

“You took an arrow for our dear Herald.”

Now he remembered.  Her purple eyes flashing in the light of the fires, her sword taking down their enemies with ferocity, the arrow arcing towards her that she didn’t see, the fierce need to protect…

“I should go let everyone know you’re awake.” 

Cullen blinked rapidly, the memories fading.  Varric slid off his stool and was out of the tent before Cullen could even put two words together.

There was no one else in the tent which, he supposed, was a good thing.  He lifted his head, turning it to see a white lump where his pauldrons should have been.  His right shoulder was a veritable mass of gauze and bandages.  He tried to move his arm.  His breath left him at the pain.  Alright.  So, he wouldn’t be doing that again soon.

He dropped his head back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling of the tent and resting his good hand on his stomach.  He had been stripped of his armor and cloak, covered only in his cotton tunic, leather breeches, and the thin blanket.  It felt odd to be so exposed.

He wondered if she was okay.  He hoped she was.  If he had taken an arrow for her and she still got hurt, well, that would just be a waste.

Cullen didn’t regret it.  He would do it again if it meant keeping her safe.  She was…important.  To the Inquisition of course.  Whether she had truly been sent or not, as the Herald of Andraste she was invaluable.  If they lost her, they lost half the reason people flocked to their cause.  But it wasn’t just that.  It hadn’t been just that since she made him blush with questions about his vows.  She was important to him, not just as the Commander of her armies, but as himself, Cullen, the man.

He couldn’t let her die.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, the Herald suddenly burst through the tent flap, Varric and Cassandra on her heels.  At first all he could register was that she was walking fine, no bandages anywhere, no limp.  She wasn’t injured and he breathed a sigh of relief 

Then he looked at her face.

Her cheeks were red, her lips were a thin line.  Her brow was a deep vee.  But her eyes were the worst of all,  They flashed with anger, with pure, unadulterated rage…at _him_.

She was at his bedside in two great strides, glaring down at him.  He gulped.  He couldn’t help it.

“You!” She hissed.

“H…Herald?”

She thumped him on his shoulder.  Hard.  He wheezed and spared a thought to be grateful she’d restrained herself to his good shoulder.  She thumped him again, this time on the chest.  She went for a third but he caught her wrist in his hand.  She tried to yank free, almost spitting with rage.

“What were you thinking?!”

“What…”

“Are you insane or do you just have a death wish?  Jumping in front of an arrow?  Please, tell me what in the world was going through that thick head of yours!”

His brow furrowed with confusion.  “You’re…mad?  But I saved your llfe!”

Her eyes sparked.  “I would’ve been _fine_.”

“You didn’t see it coming, it would’ve hit you in the neck!  We can’t afford to lose you.” He argued.

“Oh, and we can afford to lose you?!  I expected better Commander.  You should’ve been more responsible.  No.  You shouldn’t even have been out here at all!”

She bared her teeth, yanking her wrist out of his hand.  She placed both hands on either side of his head, leaning in until they were almost nose to nose.  “If you ever do anything like that again, I’ll bring you back from the dead so I can kill you myself.” She growled.

Then she spun on one heel and marched out of the tent like a vengeful goddess.

He stared after her, slack-jawed.  His eyes drifted to where Cassandra and Varric watched him.  “I don’t…understand.  What did I do?”

\---

Cullen leaned against his horse’s flank, feeling no shame at all for letting the animal support his weight.  He still tired easily despite the potions and healing spells Solas pumped into him.  He had been forbidden to protest or complain by the Herald.  Or, more specifically, by Varric, who delivered the Herald’s message.  She hadn’t spoken to him, not once, in the two days since he woke up.

He’d turned her words over in his head a hundred times but he was still no closer to understanding what in the world had made her so angry.  She would’ve died.  He knew he probably wouldn’t.  Taking the arrow for her was the logical choice.

Not that he’d been thinking logically in the split-second he had to act.  He’d been thinking something more along the lines of, _Maker, no, not her_.  But that was beside the point.  Here, in the light of day, he knew he’d done the right thing.  The only thing.

And what did he get?  A bum shoulder and a furious Herald who wouldn’t even look at him.

Even now, he could see her, right at the front of the column, leading their troops.  They were marching back to Haven, taking a turn on foot to rest the horses.  He plodded along towards the middle, surrounded by soldiers who tried to pretend like they were just milling around because this is where they felt like walking and not because they felt the need to protect their weakened Commander.

He sighed.

“Penny for your thoughts?”  Varric drew up alongside him, sitting comfortably on his little pony, a notepad perched in his lap.

“How can you write like that?” Cullen wondered.

Varric shrugged.  “Practice I guess.  But you didn’t answer my question.  C’mon Curly, out with it, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

Cullen frowned.  “Why is she so angry?”

Varric snorted and Cullen looked up at him to see the dwarf smirking incredulously.  “What?” He asked.

Varric blinked.  “Oh, you were serious?”

Cullen arched an eyebrow.

“Right.  Sorry, I forgot.  Commander Cullen is always serious.  Honestly Curly, your face is gonna freeze that way if you don’t smile more.”

Cullen’s lips twitched but he didn’t say anything, instead turning his head to stare again at the Herald’s distant form.

Varric sighed heavily.  “Alright, fine.  For what it’s worth I think you did the right thing, but I’ll still give you a clue.  Did you know when you took that arrow our precious Herald screamed your name so loud I’m pretty sure the battle stopped for a second?  Or how about how she stood over your swooned body and defended you from all comers until the stretcher-bearers came for you?  Or that as soon as the battle was over she made straight for the healer’s tent and sat by your side, holding your hand for hours while they worked on you?  She only left because Cassandra made her go rest.”

Cullen’s brow furrowed.  If she had done all that, then why had she been so furious at him?

Varric groaned.  “Maker and Creators give me patience.  She was _worried about you_ you helpless sot.”

“Worried?  But, why would she be worried…”

Varric shook his head.  “Oblivious, I swear to Andraste.”

Cullen looked up at him.  Varric was watching him, frustration clear on his face.  “If you honestly can’t figure it out Curly, I’d say you deserve her anger.  I’m not too happy with you myself right now.”

Varric turned away, spurring his pony towards the front of the line and leaving Cullen with a lot to puzzle over.

\---

The Herald called a stop when the sky began to pink.  There was still another day of riding until they made it back to Haven.  They would camp here for the night.

Cullen sat uselessly on a stump.  No one would let him do anything.  He started to set up his tent but Cassandra came and ripped it out of his hands, handing it off to a soldier to pitch for him.  He grabbed a bucket to go to the river for water but Sera, in an unusual bout of kindness, took it from him, saying she needed to pee and was headed that way anyway.  It would be chilly so he decided to light a fire but Solas, without even pausing in his walk, waved a hand and suddenly they had a roaring blaze.  They wouldn’t even let him lay out his own bedroll.  Dorian came and took it from him, saying that if anyone knew about beds it would be him.  He made sure to wiggle his eyebrows so that Cullen would know exactly what the other man was saying and blush.

The sun had officially set by this point, the only light coming from scattered campfires.  Soldiers and mages alike crowded around them in groups, beyond prejudice after having fought and survived together.  Content exhaustion hung like a blanket in the air.  Conversation was quiet, everyone too tired to do much more than sit and drink the thick stew the cooks passed around.

The Herald and her ‘inner circle’ as they were called had long since left him to his own devices, settling around their own campfire and talking merrily.  He was the only one left out.  He stared broodingly at his hands.  He supposed he could go join them, but he knew they were angry with him.   And he was pretty sure he knew why now.  Varric said the Herald was worried about him, but Cullen got the sense she wasn’t the only one.  So he exiled himself to a tiny fire.  He owed them all an apology, the Herald more than anyone.

He knew were their positions reversed he would have been blaming himself something awful.  Her guilt complex was at least as big as his and was compounded by the fact that she had so many more people looking to her.

He looked up in time to see her making her excuses, pushing herself to her feet and heading towards her tent.  He got up quickly, not really sure what he was going to do or say.  He just knew he didn’t want to go another day with her thinking whatever she was thinking.

He came up to their fire.  The conversation quieted as he drew near.  They were all watching him.  He met Varric’s eyes, giving the dwarf a nod.  He would’ve sworn Varric smirked back but he didn’t turn around to check lest his nerve fail him.

When he came to the flap of her tent he wasn’t sure what to do.  Knocking would be pointless and it wasn’t like he could just barge in.  He shuffled his feet nervously, his shoulder throbbing.

She must’ve heard him make some noise because suddenly her voice rang out.  “Come in!”

He swallowed heavily, pushing the flap aside and ducking into the tent.  “Herald?”

Her head whipped around and she squeaked.  As for him, his jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and his brain just…stopped functioning.  She was in the midst of lacing up her sleep tunic but it was huge, likely lent to her by Dorian or Solas or, hopefully, Cassandra.  It gaped in the front and provided tantalizing glimpses of the full curves of her breasts.

He took a big gulp of air and immediately exhaled, having absolutely no words.  He knew he should look away, tried to look away, but he just stared.

“What are you doing?!” She exclaimed.

He grunted, finally managing to rub two synapses together long enough to turn around.  “You told me to come in!” He cried, his voice cracking slightly.

“I thought you were Cassandra!”

“Well…I’m not…”

“Yeah, obviously.” She muttered.

He heard the rustle of cloth and prayed to the Maker she was actually putting more clothes on, not taking them off.  If she was taking off her clothes while he was in the room, well, all those pent-up feelings might come out and he wouldn’t be blamed if he kissed her.  Even his self-control wasn’t that good.  His cheeks flamed and he tried to slow his breathing.

“Alright.  I’m decent.”

He took another moment, hoping that the blush had faded from his face, before he turned.  She had her hands on her hips and a combative expression on her face.  He took a deep breath.  He’d already embarrassed himself, he might as well get this over with.

“I’m sorry.”

Whatever she was expecting, it certainly wasn’t that.  Her eyebrows shot up for a moment before she nodded in satisfaction.  “As well you should be.  You almost died for your actions and…”

“You misunderstand.” He interrupted.  “I’m not sorry I took that arrow for you.  You can yell at me and give me the cold shoulder all you like but I will never apologize for that.”

Her eyes flashed.  “Then why are you here?”

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.  “I’m sorry for worrying you.  I never meant to do that.”

Her eyelashes fluttered and she took a sharp breath but she didn’t say anything.

He pressed on, determined to get this out.  “I know that must’ve been…difficult.  I know, if it were me, and you were the one hurt, I would blame myself.”

She ducked her head and he took a step forward and then another until he could reach out and take one of her twined hands in his.  She didn’t look up, but she did curl her fingers into his.  “But you wouldn’t want me to blame myself, would you?  You wouldn’t regret what you did because it meant I was alive.  Isn’t that right?”

He didn’t know where this candor was coming from.  They hardly knew each other outside of the war room and the training yard.  But somehow, from the moment he started talking, a sense of clarity had come over him.  And even though they might not know each other well in the traditional sense, he knew his words were true.

“Please, look at me.” He murmured.

Slowly she raised her head.  Her eyes were over-bright, glowing with unshed tears.

“I don’t regret saving you.” He told her.

“You were so still.” She breathed.  “For a moment I thought…I thought you had died.”

“But I didn’t.  And, fortunately, neither did you.”

“You still shouldn’t have done it.”

His lips twitched.  “I’m afraid we may just have to disagree on that.”

Her lips parted and he could feel her exhale on his face.  He watched her eyes drift to his lips as he spoke.  He suddenly realized they were standing very close together and he was still holding her hand.  His heart stuttered and he felt the insane urge to lean down.  Just a little bit and he could touch her lips with his.  He could…he should…not be thinking that about the Herald.  He quickly released her hand, stumbling backwards.

“Forgive me, that was…I shouldn’t have…this is your space and…Maker’s breath…”

“Cullen.” She said sharply, making him suck in air too fast.  He held his breath.  “It’s fine, relax.”

He exhaled.  “Right.  Of course.  I…I should go.  Let you rest.”  He turned to do just that but her voice called him back.  He didn’t expect her to be standing so close.  He definitely didn’t expect her to rise up on tiptoe, supporting  herself with a hand on his breast plate.  Instinctively he raised his good hand to her waist, giving her the support she needed to plant a gentle, lingering kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you.” She breathed against his skin.  He shivered.  He couldn’t help it.  He felt her lips start to draw into a smile as she pulled away.

He tried to retain what dignity he had, immediately turning and leaving the tent.  From behind him, he heard her voice trill.

“Goodnight Commander!”

She sounded much happier.  He supposed that was all that mattered.

If he was kept up all night with visions of her and her lips dancing in his head, well, that was an acceptable price to pay.


End file.
